The Central Michigan wrestling team won its sixth consecutive match Sunday and halted Chattanooga's five-match win streak in the process, earning a 26-11 victory at Maclellan Gym.
The Chippewas, ranked No. 5 in the nation, were missing two or three regulars from their lineup because of illness but did not seem to miss a beat, winning six matches from the Mocs not including a Chattanooga forfeit at 133 pounds.
It was Central Michigan who snapped the Mocs' school-record 11-match win string last season.
“I am disappointed,” Mocs Head Coach Chris Bono said. “There were so many situations that came up that we coach during practice. I don't want to take anything away from a very good Central Michigan team, but a lot of today is on us. Some of our guys did not come out and do what they are coached to do.”
CMU, now 14-2 overall, owned a 9-0 lead after the first two matches. In a matchup of ranked opponents at 125 pounds, 13th-ranked Luke Smith used a riding time point to break a 1-1 tie after three periods for a 2-1 victory over UTC's Javier Maldonado. The Mocs gave up six team points at the next weight division as senior Steve Hromada could not compete because of an injury.
The Chippewas extended their lead to 12-0 before the Mocs dented the scoreboard. Eric Kruger, ranked 11th at 141 pounds, held off 13th-ranked Cody Cleveland, 7-2. It was the first loss for the sophomore in six matches.
The 18th-ranked Mocs, now 10-6, put together back-to-back wins at the next two weight classes. Joey Knox recorded Chattanooga's first team points. The 17th-ranked sophomore notched an 8-6 decision over Nathaniel Holt at 149 pounds in perhaps the most competitive match of the day. Knox led 5-3 after one period but trailed 6-5 after two.
Chattanooga senior Seth Garvin cut the team's deficit to 12-6 in the next match, outscoring Steve Brown 4-2 in the third period for a 10-8 win at 157.
CMU claimed four of the last five matches, and Lloyd Rogers supplied Chattanooga's final points. The senior 174-pounder registered a 25-9 technical fall seven seconds into the third period over Don Dryer. Rogers is ranked 14th and recorded his team-best 23rd win on the season.
Central Michigan's Trevor Stewart, ranked sixth nationally, scored an 8-0 major decision over Bond Davis at 165, and fourth-ranked Christian Sinnot was a 6-1 winner over senior Josh Edmondson at 184. Davis, a sophomore, was wrestling for an injured Nick Davis.
Wynn Michalak pushed the Chippewas' lead to 22-1 after the 197-pound match. In another battle of ranked wrestlers, the fourth-ranked Michalak defeated 18th-ranked Matt Koz, 5-1. Fifth-ranked Bubba Gritter closed out the match at 285 with a 15-3 major decision over freshman Matt Lettner.
The Mocs round out the home portion of their schedule next Saturday, hosting SoCon-rival UNC Greensboro at 1 p.m. in Maclellan Gym.
No. 5 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 26, No. 18 CHATTANOOGA 11
125 ? No. 13 Luke Smith (CMU) dec. No. 18 Javier Maldonado (UTC), 2-1 rt 3-0 CMU
133 ? Conor Beebe (CMU) won by forfeit 9-0
141 ? No. 11 Eric Kruger (CMU) dec. No. 13 Cody Cleveland (UTC), 7-2 12-0
149 ? No. 17 Joey Knox (UTC) dec. Nathaniel Holt (CMU), 8-6 12-3
157 ? Seth Garvin (UTC) dec. Steve Brown (CMU), 10-8 12-6
165 ? No. 6 Trevor Stewart (CMU) maj. dec. Bond Davis (UTC), 8-0 16-6
174 ? No. 14 Lloyd Rogers (UTC) tech. fall Don Dryer (CMU), 25-9 (5:53) 16-11
184 ? No. 4 Christian Sinnot (CMU) dec. Josh Edmondson (UTC), 6-1 19-11
197 ? No. 4 Wynn Michalak (CMU) dec. No. 18 Matt Koz (UTC), 5-1 22-11
285 ? No. 5 Bubba Gritter (CMU) maj. dec. Matt Lettner (UTC), 15-3 26-11
